Проезжая по Сиэтлу, я заскочил на Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), где мне удалось разузнать о продолжении культовой ДнД игры Neverwinter Nights 2: the Mask of the Betrayer. Несмотря на то, что игра находится под баннером Atari, на самом деле это плод творческого единения Obsidian, Bioware, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, ну и конечно же, Dungeons and Dragons (а первая часть до патчей была скорее выкидышем). Это вполне законно вызывает вопрос: « А сколько же нужно компаний, что бы сделать одну нормальную ДнД игру?». Ответ: «Столько, сколько нужно для ее лицензирования». (Про первую часть теперь понятно - «У семерых нянек дитя без глазу» ( и без нормальных инвокаций ))
А теперь шутки всторону. Я обнаружил множество нововведений в игре , действия в которой происходят вскоре после развязки оригинальной части. Например появились Дженази - раса, с которой ДнД любители знакомы давно. Конечно же есть Воздушные, Водяные, Земляные и Огненные, причем в игре их анимация просто потрясает воображение. Например на голове Огненного Генази бушует микрохиросима, а воздух вокруг Воздушного Генази завивается и воет, как маленький ураган и т.д.(видимо от Земного Генази при движении отваливаются кусочки торфа, а за Водяным Генази остаются лужицы). Кроме этого при генерации персонажа появилась возможность придать ему опреденные особенности: На голове Водяного Генази можно сделать водяные щупальца… (Хвост и Крылышки тифлингам!!!!). Игроки могут начать новую компанию новой расой, если захотят (А-то). Кроме Генази, разрабы расщедрились на Лесных Эльфов и полу-Дроу (ИМХО остроухих достаточно!). Появились новые классы - например Шаман Духов, владеющий внушительным арсеналом по борьбе с нематериальными супостатами. Появились новые эпик спелы (ждемс).
Игра начинается после победы на главным боссом оригинальной кампании: ваш ГГ очнулся в склепе (мечта гота ). Если он (ГГ) уже 18 уровня, приключения начнутся сразу. Если вы решили поиграть новыми расой/классами/престижами, у вас будет возможность до левелапиться до 18 уровня. Разработчики уделили огромное внимание графике, и теперь она смотрится прелестно. Например есть один toggle (хрен знает что это, в словаре перевод: «продолговатая деревянная пуговица» - наверное кнопка), позволяющий очень широкий угол обзора. Имхо это одно из лучших нововведений (ну тут я с ним не согласен). Эта «деревянная пуговица» позволяет наблюдать за копошением персонажей как в RTS, и вы можете направлять свою партию как в стратегии. Я уверен, что эта «продолговатая деревянная пуговица» - большой пожиратель мощности вашего графического турбо ускорителя, и я вообще не понимаю как разработчики добились этого без систематического слетания игры… (чегото я не разделяю сего пламенного оплимизма автора статьи).
Чувак на презентации сказал мне, что они провели капитальный ремонт всей графики и освещения. Одна из самых потрясных вещей будет походу преход в «мир духов», чей монохромный (чернобелый?!!) мир не тепичен для игр ДнД семейства. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayerс появится осенью 2007. Все ждем.

(Version 1.07) Beta Patch Notes
August 28th, 2007

Developer Note

Hi Everyone!

There’s a word I’d like you all to keep in mind – by the end of this note, you’ll understand why. That word is Premonition.

We here at Obsidian have been working on Neverwinter Nights 2 for just over three years now. The biggest milestone in our three years working on Neverwinter Nights 2 was last October’s launch of the game. It was great to get the product out to people, so they could see the campaign we’d developed and check out what the new engine and toolset were capable of.

As with any undertaking of the scope of NWN2, there have been many challenges – but we’ve always dedicated ourselves to resolving them, pressing ahead and looking forward to the potential of what we felt a great sequel to Neverwinter Nights should be. As exciting and rewarding as it was to release the game, and as proud as we are of it, we certainly understood and in many cases agreed with some of the complaints. Even at launch, we wanted to improve the game in several ways. And so we pressed ahead, always driven to achieve that potential – driven by the vision of what both we and the community could make of Neverwinter Nights 2.

Update 1.03 saw massive performance improvements, and now Update 1.07 will include a second set of performance optimizations. We’ve worked with the community to improve some of the walkmesh and AI issues with the game, and our dedication to supporting our scriptable, customizable graphical user interface (GUI) has paid off with the community developing UI modifications that allow people to customize the game’s UI to their liking. The DM client you’re getting with this patch is a full featured tool for running multiplayer games.

Additionally, we knew when we released the game that while the Neverwinter Nights 2 toolset was much more flexible and powerful than the original game’s, it would have a steeper learning curve. Additionally, some of us were worried about whether the community would step up to the plate with the new functionality we’d given them. For instance, we knew the UI scripting we introduced was powerful – but would people take advantage of it?
I’m pleased to say that, while there certainly has been a bit of a learning curve while the community has been mastering the new engine, new toolset and new functionality we’ve provided, looking back at the past year I can point to lots of fantastic things that the community has generated – many of which were impossible in the old game. For examples, check out our NWN2 Blog, where each week we highlight some of the cool things the community has made. But, here’s a short list of examples of cool community creations within the last year:

The NWN2 DMFI, with its strong integration into the user interface and its own custom GUI.
All of the cool community generated stuff up on NWVault, including the custom Modules, prefab areas, custom GUIs, and much more.
The extremely useful toolset plugins, which extend to the community the ability to generate the tools that they want or need.
TonyK and evenflw’s AI improvements.
All of the entrants into our Module contest.
Several very cool, active persistent worlds.

All this – and people haven’t even had the new toolset and engine for a full year!

And so, we’re going to continue looking forward. This October, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer will ship, a little bit shy of NWN2’s first birthday. And, in anticipation of Mask, we’re delivering the largest, most feature rich update to NWN2 yet.

Remember when I mentioned Premonition earlier? A premonition is a sense of the future; an anticipation of what is to come. In many ways, Mask was designed to anticipate the things that you guys would like to see improved in Neverwinter 2 – better performance and new creatures, area textures, placeables, races and classes and more.

We here at Obsidian are very excited to get Mask to all of you. And, we’re excited to see what the community will do with the new stuff we’ve provided. This update contains many of the core game changes that we’ve made during the development of Mask of the Betrayer. It even contains a sneak peak at one of Mask’s new creatures. We felt that this update was big enough to warrant its own title – and so we decided on Premonition, as this Update gives you, the community, a chance to anticipate some of what you all are going to see when you pick up Mask.

Premonition is a fitting title for another reason, too. This update is a preview of our future plans to continue to improve the level of support and dedication we’ve given to the game - to continue to look forward and make Neverwinter Nights 2 the ultimate computer D&D role-playing experience.

From all of us here at Obsidian, we hope you enjoy Premonition and Mask of the Betrayer. And, as always, we’re looking forward to seeing the awesome and creative content you guys develop with the new tools we’ve provided.

Thanks,

Nathaniel Chapman
Assistant Producer
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc.

NEW FEATURES IN PREMONITION

General

Character Mode and Strategy Mode – In advance of the release of the Mask of the Betrayer expansion pack this September, we’ve included one of the major new revisions we’ve made to the camera and control modes. Now, the four camera modes (Top Down, Chase, Driving and Free Camera) have been consolidated into two modes that are more configurable and clearer to use than the old modes – Character Mode and Strategy Mode.

These modes affect both the function of the camera and the controls for each mode, and are designed to be most efficient for the two primary styles of play – controlling a single character, and controlling a full party. Note that while the information given here refers to the default function of each mode, these modes are highly configurable. Please check out all of the options in the newly updated Options Menu. You can toggle which mode you are in by pressing the * key by default.

Character Mode: In Character Mode, the camera follows behind and over the shoulder of the currently controlled character. This mode is useful for getting a good look at your surroundings and exploring an area while focused on controlling an individual character. While in Character Mode, by default, holding the Left Mouse Button down and moving the mouse to the left or right will turn the character. You can also turn by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen. Holding down the Middle Mouse Button or pressing the Arrow keys will allow you to rotate the camera around the currently controlled character.
Strategy Mode: Strategy Mode is a top down Play Mode that is intended to make controlling a full party easier. This mode is most useful for controlling combat situations involving a full party of characters against a large number of enemies. In Strategy Mode, by default, you can click and drag to select multiple party members. You can rotate the camera either by holding the Middle Mouse Button and moving the mouse, by moving the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen, or by pressing the Arrow Keys.
New Options Menu – Patch 1.07 also introduces a new options menu that gives you access to consolidated and clear options for each camera mode, and better organization of the already existing options.
Marquee/Multi-Selection Revamp – Marquee and Multi-selection have been dramatically improved to make controlling a full party much easier. You can see the new improvements to Marquee and Multi-selection in the new Strategy Mode.

UI Improvements

Party AI On/Off Button – There is now a button on the main game UI, next to the rest button, that will toggle the entire party’s AI on or off.
Player Chat List – A list of all players on the server is now available on the Player Menu (the NWN2 “Eye” button in the lower left corner of the screen). You can select any player from this list to send them a tell.

"Handles" have been added to the chat windows to allow them to be moved more easily.
A logcommands console command has been added that allows you to dump all of the console commands to a text file.
Console commands are no longer case sensitive.

Gameplay Improvements

Darkvision and Low-light Vision are now modes that can be toggled on or off using the Mode Bar. They also have new visual effects to accompany this change.
Bronze Dragon - New Creature! The Bronze Dragon creature has been added to the Toolset, so expect him to show up in new community content as well as Mask of the Betrayer.
Stealth Improvements – Some improvements have been made to stealth to make it more effective in a Multiplayer environment. Among these, characters who are hidden will no longer show up when detected by any party member, and hidden characters should be hidden properly regardless of faction.
Knockdown now has a two-round cooldown.

Toolset

A "Find a Resource" Plugin has been added to the toolset.
A Creature Appearance Wizard has been added. This will allow you to change the appearance of spawned creatures and creature blueprints, including race, gender, armor and armor attachments. This feature can be accessed by right clicking on a creature or blueprint entry. NOTE: This feature is currently in Beta, and there are plans to improve its functionality.
A Texture Swapper has been added that allows builders to swap the textures in a tileset. This feature can be accessed from a tile’s properties pane, visible by right clicking on a tile.
A new custom skydome system has been added to the toolset, allowing users to replace the NWN2 skies with skydomes of their own creating.
Areas now have additional settings under their Day/Night Stage Properties that allow builders to “de-saturate” an area – that is, remove a percentage of the color from an area, all the way to black and white.

DM Client

A UI feature has been added to allow DMs to adjust player/creature alignments using a slider bar.
Comments from the toolset (comments within the {} brackets) will now show up in the Creator.
The distance a DM can zoom out has been greatly increased.
A filter feature has been added to the DM Client player list. This will allow DMs to select specific players and filter their list down to only show those selected players.

BUG FIXES IN PREMONITION

General

The PC model during level up should be scaled to match the scaling in game
Module Debug text should now display properly.
The Dwarven Defender Defensive Stance ability now functions properly.
The game will no longer crash if a player presses the + key on the number pad in a multiplayer game.
Fixed an issue that was resulting in corrupted save games.
Typing // will now make it so that the rest of the string is not treated as a command input, allowing the character to speak the rest of the string without any changes.
Character AI should now respond to all attacks, not just attacks that result in damage.
Fixed an exploit that allowed players to increase their CON.
Neutral players should now be able to select Akadi as a deity.
The Improved Defense feats should now replace each other.
Mouse camera panning and tilting are now options in the game.
Knock-down now requires a melee touch attack.
Custom classes will now be able to progress to level 2 and above.

Toolset

The 2DA editor in toolset should now handle rows where the row # is 4 digits.
When viewing a 2DA in the toolset, sorting by any column other than the # will no longer renumber all the entries when saving.
Changing a placeable's OpenState property will no longer yield an Unknown.
Swapping textures in the toolset should no longer result in solid black textures.
Opening the toolset after having set the TreeLeaves option to false in the View -> Options -> Graphics menu should result in leaves not being rendered.
Builders can now select male or female model previews on the Armor Tab in the creature properties window.
Manually entering a value in the Pressure's text field should now affect brushes.
When you run the toolset a prefabs folder should be created, which becomes the default location for saving Prefab objects. Exported Prefabs will not get added to the blueprint list until the Toolset is restarted.
Ctrl-Z will no longer set height-lock in the toolset. The Z key is used now.
Turning the On? property of a light OFF and ON will toggle the light source OFF and ON.
Pasting encounter triggers with spawn points no longer crashes the Toolset.
All the effects associated with an air elemental are played in the proper place.
The name of the last conversation will no longer be missing from the conversation dropdown in the properties list.
Adding a new entry in the journal, when another entry is currently selected, will add the new entry to the parent category of the selected entry.
Red conversation nodes now show "[END DIALOG]" if they have no response nodes under them.
The DELETE key will now work properly when manually entering color values
Glow maps stay on the creatures for which they are intended.
Map hotspots will now appear in the same position in-game as they do in the World Map Editor.
Undo will no longer work with water, due to an error causing water to disappear if undo is used in the same area.
Roofs, in tilesets, will no longer appear red in the toolset.

DM Client

On the DM's Context menu, if you are controlling the DM avatar the non-DM heal skill will not show up. If you possess another creature, the non-DM heal skill will show up.
DM commands listed in the Keymapping tab will now function properly.
Dead players will no longer disappear from the chooser.
Possessing/Unpossessing Creatures will no longer play the creature's possession sound.
Players will no longer see the floating text from DMs unless the DM is visible.
Changing the resolution in the DM client should no longer cause the text to disappear from the chooser and creator.
DMs can change the faction of a creature using the dm_setfaction command.
Players will no longer hear the footsteps of hidden DMs.
The disable AI button in the chooser will now work properly.
DebugMode will no longer need to be active for a DM to use console commands.
The last entries in the Chooser or Creator lists will no longer be blank.
The chooser will now focus on the current area when opened.
DMs can now select dead PCs from within the chooser.
The Chooser and Creator will no longer require double-clicks on the buttons.
The + key on the number pad will now jump the DM to the location of the mouse pointer.
The toggle trap/trigger display button will now work properly.
DMs will now be able to join a server that is full, even if that puts the player count over the limit. DMs will still count against the overall player count.
When a DM saves his avatar, the custom shortcuts in the quickbar should no longer become unuseable at next login.
Player portraits in the player list will no longer be blank if a player is in a different area.
Player portraits in the player list will now have the correct portraits and names.

Scripting

EffectDeath() now has a new parameter that will make it so that any visual effects on the creature aren't purged (With the exception of mobility imparing effects, like stun, paralysis, etc).
The "GetGroupNumKiled" script within ginc_group has been renamed to "GetGroupNumKilled".

Spells

Melf's Acid Arrow will no longer be stopped by spell resistance.
The combat log will now report Disintegrate as a ranged touch attack when cast.
Disintegrate will now gain bonus damage when Empowered.
The targeting circle for Horrid Wilting has been changed to 30 feet.
Fixed a spelling error for the Glyph of Warding spell description.

по некоторым данным игра выйдет в Европе уже в сентябре , а в Америке в октябре, но это все не подтверждено официально

ну и появился оффсайт аддона
http://www.atari.com/nwn2/motb/US/index.html

Добавлено (15.09.2007, 21:35)
---------------------------------------------
обновился Neverwinter Nights 2 Community Update
http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=2&

появилось описание Sacred Fist

Sacred Fists are independent organizations found within many temples. Their ascetic members have turned their divine magic inward, bringing their bodies and wills into harmony. Sacred Fists have forsworn the use of weapons and heavy armor. They consider their bodies and minds gifts from their deity, and they believe that not developing those gifts to their fullest potential is a sin. Spellcasting does not dishonor them or their deity. Sacred Fists are stong in faith, will and body.

Clerics are excellent candidates for Sacred Fist orders. Paladins may also choose to join them, but are seldom comfortable surrendering the trappings of their calling. Fighters, rogues, bards and even ex-monks may make good candidates, provided they have enough levels in a class that grants divine spells. Druids occasionally find the class's combat skills useful, but sorcerers and wizards fins little to interest them.

Requirements:
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Feats: Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Combat Casting.
Skills: Lore 8 ranks
Spellcasting: Ability to cast 1st level divine spells.

Class Features:
Hit Die: d8
Base Attack Bonus: High.
High Saves: Fortitude and Reflex.
Proficiencies: Sacred Fists gain no proficiency with any weapons, armor or shields.
Skill Points: 4 + Int Modifier.
Class Skills: Concentration, Heal, Lore, Spellcraft and Tumble.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new Sacred Fist level is gained (except levels 4 and 8 ), the character gains new spells per day as though he had gained a level in whatever divine spellcasting class gave him access to 1st-level divine spells. If the caster had more than one applicable divine spellcasting class, he must pick one to improve.
AC Bonus: When unencumbered and wearing light or no armor, a 1st level Sacred Fist gains a +1 AC bonus. This bonus increases to +2 at 5th level, and +3 at 10th level.
Unarmed Damage: A Sacred Fist deals unarmed combat as a monk of equal level. A Sacred Fist's monk level (if any) stacks with his class level for the purposes of determining unarmed damage.
Fast Movement: If the Sacred Fist has levels of Monk, his Sacred Fist level stacks with his monk level for purposes of determining Monk Speed. Otherwise he gets the equivalent of Monk Speed at 3rd level, and it progresses identically to the 3rd level monk ability Monk Speed.
Sacred Flames: At 4th level the Sacred Fist can invoke sacred flames around his fists. These flames add to the Sacred Fist's unarmed damage. The additional damage is equal to the Sacred Fist's class level plus Wisdom modifier. This lasts 10 combat rounds. This ability initially can only be used once per day, increasing to twice per day at 8th level.
Uncanny Dodge: At 6th level, the Sacred Fist retains any Dexterity bonus to AC when flat-footed or when struck by an invisible attacker.
Inner Armor: At 10th level, the Sacred Fist can protect himself from harm once per day. He gets a +4 sacred bonus to AC, a +4 sacred bonus on all saves, and a spell resistance equal to 25 for a number of rounds equal to his Wisdom modifier.

NWN 2: MotB G-O-L-D

After a visit to the Obsidian offices yesterday, the go ahead has been given to announce that NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer is G-O-L-D for North America and Europe, baby! Set for release is set for October 9th in North America and an as-yet-to-be announced date in late September in Europe.

I have a terrific write up for you coming in 2 parts beginning this weekend. Keep your eye on NWN 2 WarCry.

Here's what is in store:
A list of DMC bug fixes and improvements
A preview of Rogue Dao Studio's Purgatorio
Some new creatures, PrCs and feature

http://nwn2.warcry.com/news/view/76951-NWN-2-MotB-G-O-L-D

ну и интересная свежая статья оттуда же

NWN 2 WarCry: Visit to Obsidian: The First Hour

Having visited Obsidian Entertainment a mere two months prior to last year's release of Neverwinter Nights 2, I found myself looking forward to this year's visit literally weeks before the release of NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer, or NWX1 as the developers call it. To my great delight, the Obsidian folks did not disappoint.

The day started at ten o'clock with a Rogue Dao Studios tour of the Purgatorio module currently nearing its beta testing stage. Conducted by studio lead Montgomery Markland, press members were treated to a very recent version of Purgatorio. Press members were well-represented but the room was also packed with Obsidian developers anxious for a look at the module. Markland took the assembled crowd on a tour of The Hive, arguably the "star" of Purgatorio.

There is no question that Rogue Dao has raised the bar considerably for other community created modules and custom content creators with Purgatorio. Already sporting twenty custom creature models, the module, if fully explored, will treat players to twenty hours or so in the gorgeous Sigil environs. There is the main quest and over fifty side quests that players can use as an excuse to completely discover Purgatorio in its entirety.

Planescape source books have been used as the primary creation guides and Rogue Dao Studios has remained faithful to the look and feel of Sigil. Composers have also created a fabulous score that expertly captures the mood of the city. There are over three and a half hours of custom music accompanying the module.

One of the highlights of the module is several NPCs that Rogue Dao forum users submitted. Writers were asked to submit their character biographies early on in the module's creation. Those selected will have their characters immortalized in the Purgatorio module.

The module is nearly ready for beta testing and Markland indicated that the module will be NWN 2 v1.07 compatible. While nearing the beta testing stage, the release of the module will not conflict with the release of NWN 2: Mask of the Betrayer.

"Even we want time to play through Mask", Markland said.

There are not enough good things to say about Rogue Dao Studio and Obsidian's commitment to the modding community. The level of Obsidian's support for projects like this is unprecedented in the gaming world. The developers' enthusiastic response to what Markland showed is testament to the quality of the work that Rogue Dao Studios is producing.

Press was also given the opportunity to see Robinson's Workshop's Deep Earth series. The Deep Earth series is a group of underground tilesets featuring "Deep Halls", "Deep Sewers" and "Deep Chasms". Again, the level of professionalism displayed by "amateur" developers is astounding with RWS. The sewers are impressive, if indeed one is permitted to write such things. *grins* RWS has also produced a great bridge tileset. They are planning a tower tileset and the creation of custom monsters. Their work is top notch and can be seen at The Vault.

Both Rogue Dao and the Robinson's Workshop developers spoke of the difficult initial learning curve with the toolset but indicated that, once mastered, the power and flexibility it presents is unbeatable.

The first hour flew by though there was a short discussion of Mask of the Betrayer with Kevin Saunders and Feargus Urquhart. Here's a bit of what Saunders and Urquhart had to say and a teaser for the next installment:
MotB is the most polished game Obsidian has produced
MotB was finished early to allow for extra time to bug-fix and to attain a higher level of polish
MotB features 25-30 hours of gameplay
MotB has more choices to make in the story giving it a less linear feel
MotB camera modes allow players to be right IN the world, not just over it
MotB allows players to experience the world by being close up and personal
MotB allows for strategy mode to facilitate larger battles and strategic fights
MotB allows for marquee selection of party members
Locations
PrCs
Chants and spell effects
In short: MORE, MORE and MUCH MORE!

Stay tuned for part two!
http://nwn2.warcry.com/news....st-Hour

PS с переводом к сожелению помочь не могу - инглиш хромает (понимаю где-то 75% текста без словаря) , а простые вещи Oranj хорошо и без меня переводит